Final evaluation of my music magazine

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Finished Double Page Spread

Final Content Page Design

Contents Page draft

Final draft for my Double page spread

This is my final double page spread layout design i am very pleased how it's looking i have a few changes yet to be made and will post my final piece when its complete. Please leave comments and let me know what you think, thank you.

Draft of my Double Page Spread

Please leave comments to let me know how i can improve on this so that the final outcome will be perfect, thank you.

Front Cover

Penultimate Front Cover

Please leave comments as I'm a bit stumped on where to change the last few details, thank you.

Draft of my magazine front cover

My Final Masthead Choices

Prototype Mastheads

These are some ideas that i could use for my masthead, please comment and let me know what you think.

Treatment Sheet

Target Readership: My music magazine Subsound is a niche magazine aimed at people who are into the drum and bass genre. My target audience is 16-25, and I feel as there are not many drum and bass magazines about if my magazine were to be of a good quality, people would continue to buy it so I would get some very loyal customers who would perhaps buy my magazine every month when it comes out. Hopefully the people who would buy this magazine will be at the age where they are starting to go out more and so will want to hear about drum and bass nights all over the country so this is the kind of information I would publish in my magazine.

Form and Style: Subsound is a music magazine on A4 in full colour,. I will always have a photograph of an up and coming DJ or a well known DJ on the front cover  often in obscure and random places, I got this idea from the magazine ATM where Marcus Intalex is on the front cover playing golf. I will have some cover lines around the picture giving an insight of what is in the magazine. Subsound will be priced at £3.20 a month. For my colour scheme I will try to keep it relatively minimalist but the colours I do use will be very bright iridescent typical colours of what you would associate with the music genre drum and bass. 

Themes and Typical Features: Inside the magazine there is information about the biggest and best DJ’s and also some underdogs in the world of drum and bass. I will also be including information about good nights out around the UK, my magazine will come with a free mix CD every month. Subsound magazine will contain song and album reviews and reviews on new products and technology. Like many other music magazines mine will have a competition with the chance to win some tickets to a night out etc. The main focus points of Subsound is to be an interesting piece of reading material and hopefully influential to those who are hoping to mix or produce drum and bass. Subsound magazine will contain reviews on various drum and bass nights, songs, albums and various other things such as festivals.

Potential Advertisers: Potentially there are lots of different ways I could advertise this magazine for example big music entertainment stores like HMV and Powerplay also websites that have drum and bass on for instance quantum drum and bass on YouTube, also little outlets that sell Drum and Bass vinyl.

Editorial Team: I will use Editors of mixed age from the music magazine ATM and publishers from the music magazine Mixmag. The editorial team will all be of the same age as the target audience as this way they have a first hand experience of what it’s like. All of the editorial team still enjoy going out and visiting various drum and bass nights.

Mixmag double page spread

Textual analysis of double page spread from mixmag

This double page spread in on Dizzee Rascal a UK rapper from London, on the left hand page we have an interview with Dizzee Rascal and on the other side it is just one large mid close up that fills the whole of the other side. It has a very interesting layout how it is split 50/50 one side a full photo and the other the interview. I think I like this double page spread because its not ram packed with hundreds of lines worth of writing. It’s just a brief interview with Dizzee Rascal asking questions which the readers would find very appealing finding out general and some personal information about the rapper.

They have used a very basic colour scheme for this double page spread so no attention is drawn away from the photograph and the interview. They have posed Dizzee Rascal very carefully for this photograph making him look very suave wearing a white suit with a smart black tie and purple shirt. Dizzee Rascal is definitely the dominant feature in this double page spread as his photo takes up a whole page.

At the top of the bag there is a small banner which says VIP I think this makes us enjoy this section more as it feels though we have exclusive information into Dizzee Rascals life. There is a stand first at the top of the left page which is in big bold letters to draw our attention to that before we go on to read the interview. I think that they chose to put Dizzee Rascal in pink because that way if you didn’t know who he was from the photograph you then would and so might actually then be more interested as he is a worldwide known rapper.

Just to the right of the picture of Dizzee Rascal is a quote that he says in the interview; “That’s where I’m at now – It’s like, come on, sell your soul!” I think reading this alone entices people to want to dive straight into the interview and read what he’s talking about. There is a picture of Armand at the bottom of the left hand page and its discussing how Armand helped him meet his turning point by making the pop song ‘Dance Wiv Me’ so having a picture Armand is quite relevant and people who haven’t heard his music are more likely to search for him and listen to his tunes.

Contents page from music magazine Q

Analysis of contents page from Q music magazine

This a very well planned and clear contents page the title Contents at the top of the page is in big bold and clear lettering. What I think makes this such a good contents page is how they have actually separated the stories into sections so there is an every month section, features, the songwriters and a Q review section. There is three main pictures on the right hand side of the page, I think by having girls aloud at the top means our attention is instantly drawn towards them and also adds sex appeal to the contents page and will entice you to read into the magazine more. They have used a relatively basic colour scheme but they all work so nicely together contrasting the other sections making each bit stand out more than they would if it was all the same colour. This is definitely not a niche magazine as we have various genres of music included in this magazine. Q claims to be the world’s biggest and best music guide they have 2 of their web addresses listed at the top of the page. I think the three main pictures give us some general idea of what genres of music will be in this magazine. There is very little actual writing on this page, it gets straight to the point and therefore is less likely to bore the reader who is maybe trying to find a certain article.

mixmag contents page

Analysis of contents page from mixmag

Having a big picture and the page number 16 at the bottom of the photo with a little caption that says “Your last minute guide to the best NYE parties – with tickets to be won!” You are instantly drawn to the attraction of this photograph you can see that this is a niche magazine and related to the genres of drum and bass and dance music.

The most popular stories they have in the magazine this month the page numbers are bigger than some of the not so interesting or eye catching stories. Having the title contents in big, bold easy to read writing makes it clear to see what you are looking at. This contents page has quite a smart layout having one main photograph and then all the stories that are to come inside around the photograph. It’s a relatively informative contents page it has a good design that keeps your attention and we are even told at the bottom about the CD that comes free with this magazine. I think having a picture of David Guetta is a good idea as it promotes what is going to be in the magazine and a lot of people who would read this magazine are more than likely to recognize him through the photo alone and even if you didn’t you do now as it tells you who he is under his photo.

Readership Figures

This was an article in the Guardian published on febuary 11 2010 giving the readership figures for magazines such as Kerrang, Q and Mixmag. I found this on the internet and thought it was extremely relevant to my music magazine. Although my music magazine is going to be more niche and aimed more at the dance and drum and bass scene so i may not have as many people likely to buy it but i hope the people who do will be loyal and continue buying my magazine.
Mojo has overtaken its sister title Q to become the biggest-circulation paid-for music magazine, while there were big drops for music titles New Musical Express, Kerrang! and Metal Hammer in the latest circulation figures out today.
Bauer Media's classic rock magazine Mojo had an average monthly circulation of 98,484 in the second half of last year, down 2% year on year but up 0.8% on the previous six months.
It overtook fellow Bauer title Q, which fell 8% year on year and 5.4% on the first half of the year to 94,811.
There was better news for Q's sister title, film magazine Empire, which was up 2.4% year on year to 194,239. It stretched its already substantial lead over Future Publishing's Total Film, which was down 5.8% year on year to 81,029.
IPC Media's Uncut held onto third place among the paid-for rock music titles, despite a 13.3% fall year on year to 75,518. It was ahead of Classic Rock, which was up 1.5% year on year and 1.3% on the first half of 2009 to 71,242.
But there were big year on year drops for the other titles in the rock music sector. Future Publishing's Metal Hammer was down 16.9% year on year and 9.2% on the previous six months to 41,777.
It was just ahead of Bauer's rock title Kerrang!, which tumbled 21.3% year on year and 4.9% on the first half of 2009 to 41,125, while IPC's NME fell 20.6% year on year, and 6% on the previous six months, to 38,486.
Dance title Mixmag, owned by Development Hell, was also down, falling 13.4% year on year to 26,116. Development Hell's sister title, Word, was down 22.5% year on year to 26,555.
Channelfly Enterprises' free music monthly The Fly remained the music sector leader with an average distribution of 107,771, up 7.5% year on year.
The British Film Institute's Sight and Sound was up 0.6% on the previous year to 19,842. Future Plus's free film title, Odeon Magazine, was top of the film sector, with an average distribution of 205,380.

Music Magazine Questionnaire

What is your favourite genre of music?

When you read music magazines, what kind of information do you like to read about?

Do you enjoy reading about mainstream artists or prefer more underground music?

What would you like the music magazine to be called?

· Decibel

· Subsound

· Hypest Hype

· Tunetrippin

· Back to beatsix

· Other suggestions

How much should the magazine cost?

Would you like pictures in the magazine?

What age group should I aim the magazine at?

· 12-15

· 16-21

· 21+

Textual analysis of the music magazine Q

This issue of Q was released in December 2009 so it was almost reviewing the year behind us. The Masthead is just a big Q “the name of the magazine” the Q represents the action of cueing up a piece of music or a record. We have a single picture on the front cover of the four band members of Arctic Monkeys stood holding a Q award. They have gone with a basic colour scheme using a black and white photograph with certain bits on the front cover which are in gold and some bits in red although the colours are contrasting they help compliment each other. The Q is white on red and it’s placed in the corner this is where it always appears this Q also acts as a logo for other products.

We have a banner that goes through the middle of the page telling us who some of the winners for 2009 Q awards are. There is a strap line that goes across the top of cover saying “The awards issue” just underneath that is a cover line telling us inside is the 50 best albums of 2009 and then below they’ve put a little comment saying “warning likely to provoke arguments”. The fact that a magazine has awards of its own shows it’s of high quality and shares the interests of the audience, this also reflects that it attracts the attention of other well known artists.

Q is released monthly at a price of £3.90 per issue it is extremely unlikely to get something free with the magazine. At the bottom we have two cover lines telling us we have some stories and opinions from some very well know artists like Oasis and Robbie Williams so this is a very good way of selling a magazine by showing you have stories that have come straight from there mouths into this magazine. Q is published by Bauer London Lifestyle Ltd, a division of Bauer consumer media Ltd. These publishers also participate in publishing other magazines like Kerrang.

ATM

Textual analysis of the music magazine ATM

The masthead is in the top left corner and it says ATM which is abbreviated for atmosphere which is clearly stated down the left hand side of the masthead. It is a very plain front cover but I think it works effectively we have a big picture on the front of Marcus Intalex a new up and coming DJ with his name written as a banner across the middle of the page. They chose to use nice contrasting colours for the banner by putting black and a bright fluorescent like yellow together.

Going down the right hand side of the cover we are given names of other DJ’s some well known others not so big but we know just by reading these names there is going to be something about each and every one of them. It says just under the masthead free mix cd with every issue I think this is a fantastic sale point as it’s a relatively expensive magazine so by getting a free cd every time definitely makes it worth the money. It’s released every month at a price of £3.75 and it’s all made over here in the UK.

They chose a very obscure photograph for the front cover having a massive picture of Marcus Intalex wearing golfing attire on a green with a ball and putter. I think this may have been used as ironic photography as when you say drum and bass you stereotypically think underground rave culture and a life of drugs, but that’s not what this music is about. I think making a DJ/producer look like this and you start to take in different impressions of this genre of music. Just below where it says free mix cd with every issue it mentions the drum and bass and underground music culture pages.

I think this magazine looks very appealing and I personally would buy it I think it looks fantastic, some very clever photography work and well designed I think if you are into the drum and bass music genre this should be the magazine you go for. With a very basic layout easy to read and names of different DJ’s so you know what to expect before you read it. ATM Worldwide is the number 1 and longest running Drum & Bass, Hip Hop, Breakbeat and Hardcore magazine. It is published by Planet Media Publishing.

Mix mag

Textual analysis of the front cover of mixmag

The masthead is mixmag this tells us the magazines name it gives us some idea of the genre of the magazine and our attention is almost immediately drawn to the title of the magazine. There is a banner across the middle of the cover which says “2009: F*** ME, WHAT A YEAR!” and we have a clear picture of David Guetta behind, I think this is great for catching peoples attention because it’s all in capitals it’s bright white and a fluorescent yellow colour. The fact it has profanities in the main banner also draws your attention because you wouldn’t normally see that on a regular magazine cover.

The font used is rather curved and simple I think having a smoother font it helps almost represent the circular vinyl or CD’s. using a bright white and fluorescent yellow colour scheme with the font is good because drum and bass and dance is all associated with the so called “rave scene” so bright lights and neon colour on a front cover unless you’re into this specific genre of music you are more than likely never going to buy this magazine. I think they chose to take David Guetta’s picture against a basic wooden background to help give more contrast to the cover because he has a t-shirt on with purple neon colour and I think the idea is David Guetta himself is the colour in this photo just with his cool pose and look about him.

Mixmag is released monthly at the cost of £4.20 per issue sometimes they come with something free this issue comes with a free best of 09 mix CD mixed by “Diplo” this would definitely appeal to people who enjoy this genre of music. This issue is from January 2010 and it’s reviewing the year on the front we have a yellow star and in it says “special end of year issue!” so you know its going to be a good one. On the front cover it also has names of other featuring artists such as Chase and Status, Dizzee Rascal and La Roux.

I would class this magazine as niche because it’s published by Development Hell Ltd. This is a very underground publishing company and the whole magazine is specifically aimed towards people who enjoy the dance and drum and bass genre. I think the magazine is quite expensive because they don’t sell millions of copies like a magazine such as Q would but the people who enjoy this will buy it because its designed for them and often comes with something free like a CD etc.

Action Plan

This is my action plan for our next piece of coursework, i now have to make a new music magazine and it could be designed however i want it to be. I have decided to do a music magazine for drum and bass, i am going to base it all on my friend who mixes on vinyl decks and is absolutely fantastic, i will be including numerous articles in my magazine and i hope you enjoy it.

3/1/11 - 17/1/11 Textual analysis of magazines (3 covers, 2 contents, 1 double page spread) colour analysis, weekly review, font analysis, treatment sheet, layout designs, photo shoot, drafting of pages, audience feedback

24/1/11- 14/2/11 Construction, audience questionnaire and analysis poll, decide upon a magazine name, internet research into the institution and readership figures

21/2/11 - Half term

28/2/11 - 7/3/11 Evaluation and finishing off

Deadline Friday 11th March